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Books Beyond The Books

Marathons take their name and distance from the fable of Pheidippides. He was a Greek courier who, so the story goes, ran from the battlefield back to Athens to report victory in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. Twenty-six miles is a long way to run. The current world…

Most of the records from days of yore come through in black and white. Colour photography didn’t become popular until the mid-20th century, which gives us the impression that everything that came before then was rather drab. Pre-photography records only come in whatever physical artifacts have managed to weather the…

“Eponymous” comes from the Ancient Greek “epṓnumos,” made of “epí” (upon) and “ónuma” (name). Quite simply, it means that something is named after a person. Many terms like this are quite obvious, like Victorian, Fahrenheit, and Freudian slip. But here’s a list of words you’d never guess have their origins…

We’ve been searching high and low for the best songs for a Spotify playlist about things that are missing, vanished, and found. Give it a listen whilst you read this blog. The playlist is open and collaborative – so please add in your own songs all about things lost and found. Can you…

We’ve made a quite drizzly Spotify playlist for you to enjoy whilst reading this article. It’s open and collaborative – so please add in your own songs all about inclement weather. Can you think of any we missed? You own one. Maybe two. It’s probably black, unless you’re kooky. And, scientifically, they’re…

We live on a weird, weird planet. And the more you learn about it, the stranger it gets. Many lists of “true facts” on the internet are dubious at best. But this one – although it reeks of cow poop – is absolutely, totally, 100% true. Read on for a…

We’ve made a very hairy Spotify playlist for you to enjoy whilst reading this article. It’s open and collaborative – so please add in your own songs all about hair. Can you think of any we missed? Giant shoulder pads came back around. Track pants: stylish once more. So isn’t…

Telling someone you how you feel about them can be challenging even if you speak the same language. It’s difficult enough to translate all that inner mushiness into spoken words – and if we add different languages to the mix, love can become absolutely untranslatable. Just in time for Valentine’s, here’s…

“Babe” and “honey” will only get you so far. This Valentine’s Day, pour a little international sugar on your lovebug with these 16 ways to say sweetheart in other languages. IRISH: A chuisle mo chroí (pulse of my heart) Lub-dub. Lub-dub. If your loved one gets your blood racing and your heart…